When we talk about the benefits of exercise, looking better gets the most attention.

Burning off unwanted pounds is a great thing, but let’s not overlook a more immediate benefit of exercise.

Exercise transforms how you feel—with a quickness.

It’s true. While weight loss takes time and extended effort, all it takes is one workout to begin reaping the reward of a more energetic and capable body.

Here are the top 3 ways that your body will feel better with exercise:

1) You’ll Have More Energy
How are your energy levels these days?

(And I’m talking about natural energy, not energy manufactured by caffeine.)

Do your eyes pop open at the sound of your alarm? Then do you bounce through your day with a spring in your step?

Or do you hit snooze half a dozen times before getting up and dragging through your day?

While you may not instantly feel like the Energizer Bunny, your energy levels will dramatically increase once you begin a consistent, challenging exercise routine.

How does spending energy create more energy?

“(Exercise) literally creates energy in your body. Your body rises up to meet the challenge for more energy by becoming stronger,” explains Samantha Heller MS, RD.

Research consistently concludes that regular exercise increases energy levels and reduces fatigue.

2) You’ll Have Fewer Aches and Pains
When your life becomes sedentary (this means you are inactive for most of the day) then you’ll quickly find your body developing aches and pains.

You’ll feel it when you stand up – a throb in your back, creaking in your knees and stiffness in your legs.

This is pain due to underuse.

Your body was meant to move!

Movement improves flexibility and range of motion, and releases natural pain-reducing endorphins, which means that, with a regular exercise program, you’ll be moving smoother and with less pain than ever before.

3) You’ll Feel Happy and Confident
It’s hard to understand how 30 to 60 minutes a day spent on exercise is able to completely transform how you feel about yourself. But it does.

Think back to the last time that you accomplished something. Maybe you performed well at work and received kudos from your boss, or you finished a project at home that took weeks of your time and concentration.

Do you remember how that accomplishment made you feel?

You stood a little bit straighter, you smiled easily, and deep down you felt alive with excitement.

When challenging exercise becomes a regular part of your life, feelings of happiness and confidence also become a part of you.

From now on I want you to forget the idea that exercise is nothing more than a means to achieving a slimmer body.

Instead, look at exercise as a complete life enhancer.

So you took a break from your fitness routine You ate, you drank, you relaxed, and ate some more.

Well, now it’s time to face the music.

As you look in the mirror after a summer of less-than-healthy eating… Your body is puffy and bloated. Your joints are achy. Your clothes feel tight.

Maybe you are feeling that way right now.

Here’s how to get you back on the fitness fast track.

1) Find Your Focus

Summer happened. You ate things from the “never eat these” list, you drank more that you should have…but now it’s over.

Draw a line in the sand. You’re back now so the bad eating stops now.

If you’re serious about your fitness goals, then the past few weeks were the exception, and not the rule. Don’t beat yourself up for letting loose. Simply get back up, dust yourself off and get focused.

2) Get Hydrated

While summer days can take on many forms, the end result is most often dehydration and water retention. The only way to restore your balance is to get hydrated.

Your first priority in getting back on track is to drink plenty of water throughout the day. Start with a tall glass of water in the morning, and carry a water bottle with you to sip throughout the day.

Don’t add any artificial sweeteners or stimulants to your water – these will sabotage your hydration efforts. For flavour, add sliced fresh fruit, herbs or vegetables to your water, just like at the spa.

3) Cleanse Your System

For your first few days getting back on track I need you to be extra picky about what you eat. Stick with only whole, real foods like fruits, vegetables and lean meats. Whole, real foods will help to restore balance and block out cravings.

Don’t eat any packaged foods for the next few days. This means no snack foods, processed meat slices, dairy, baked goods or alcohol.

Try the recipe for Creole Chicken and Green Beans below – this is a wonderful, whole food dish.

4) Get Some Rest

As relaxing as summer days are, most end with the feeling of exhaustion. Make catching up on sleep a priority over the next few days.

When your body is low on sleep, it becomes easier to make poor eating choices. You’re also less likely to get back into your workouts if you don’t give your body a chance to rest.

Aim for getting a full 8 hours of sleep each night.

5) Jump Back Into Your Exercise Routine

It’s time to sweat out all those indulgences. So lace up your shoes and put on your favourite gym clothes. When you start your first workout, ease in slowly. Take the time to warm up and stretch your muscles before powering up to a solid 30-minute routine.

I have just the exercise plan for you – one that will not only help you recover from your summer but will help keep you motivated and going strong in the future.

If you haven’t joined yet, now is the perfect time for you to start. Together we will get you to your goals with my results-driven method.

P.S.  – Whenever you are ready… and here are 3 ways I can help you lose weight, increase your muscle tone and help you get motivated:

1. Results Fitness Is Re- opening – Come in for a Custom Fitness Consultation.

We’ll sit down together and discuss your goals, simple steps you can take to achieve them and see if there is a way to work together to give you the coaching and support you need to get the results you want quickly.

If you’d like to discuss meeting for a Consultation, just reply and put ‘Consult’ in the subject line and I’ll follow up with you.

2. Join our 28 Day Jump Start Program

We’re adding a few new clients to our program for 28 days and documenting their success. If you’d like to work with us for the next month and be a case study for fat loss… just reply to this message and put “28” in the subject line.

3. Be my guest for a free training session.

If you’d like to come in to attend a ‘Bring a Friend’ training session as my guest…just reply and put “Guest” in the subject line, and I’ll get you all the details!

Do the following statements describe you?

• I prefer to eat in private, where no one else can see.
• I eat healthy in front of others but then indulge recklessly in private.
• I follow a healthy diet during the day, only to fall off the wagon at night.
• I sneak food secretly and eat it away from others.

If you can relate to any of the above statements then you may be engaging in closet eating. This “secret eating life” of yours sabotages your fitness goals, making it impossible to achieve the body that you want.

Before we dive into this topic, it’s important to approach yourself from a place of love and respect. Resist the urge to look at yourself as a failure as you strive to discard unhealthy eating habits.

Use the following 5 steps to curb your closet eating once and for all:

Step #1: Learn Your Triggers
Journal about the feelings you experience before, during and after an episode of closet eating. Was there a particular trigger that caused you to feel stressed, or angry, or helpless before the urge to eat in secrecy hit you?

Refer back to your journal after a handful of episodes and try to determine a pattern. This will allow you to prepare yourself with an exit plan before the next potential episode.

For example, if you find that your closet eating occurs mainly when your spouse goes out of town on business, then make plans to visit with friends rather than be alone at home with food.

Step #2: Log Every Calorie
Let’s face the facts. Just because no one sees you eat it, doesn’t mean that the calories don’t exist. The simple act of tallying each food item that you eat will force you to be more mindful of your eating habits.

Find your ideal calorie range by consulting your doctor, and be aware of how close you come to that range each day. Resist the urge to not log foods that are eaten in secrecy.

The point is to bring accountability to the situation, so be vigilant.

Step #3: Carry Healthy Snacks
When the urge to eat in secrecy hits you, it may be useful to allow yourself the snack, but change the script slightly by making it healthy and portion controlled.

Eat one of these snacks every few hours to prevent from becoming overly hungry, thus more susceptible to reckless eating.

Look below for a list of healthy, portion controlled snacks to incorporate into your diet.

Step #4: Don’t Stock Bad Food
Most cases of closet eating are said to occur in the comfort of your own home. Be proactive by not stocking your favorite indulgences in the kitchen.

When you have the urge to sneak a few bites of ice cream before bed, you’ll be unable to do so if there isn’t any ice cream to be found. Be careful not to fall into the trap of “buying it for the kids,” as this is a slippery slope.

No one in the family benefits from having junk food stocked in the house. Get it out.

Step #5: Exercise Regularly
How can exercising regularly help you overcome closet eating? It’s simple. When you are actively working towards a goal, and are supported, you’ll be less likely to self-sabotage.

My fitness plans are designed to get you to your desired weight loss goal quickly and efficiently. There’s accountability, encouragement and measurable results to keep you on track.

If you’d like to see your fitness goals become a reality then pick up the phone or shoot me an email.

Closet eating may be your way of dealing with the stress you have in your life, but you can change that. And I would love to help.

P.S.  – Whenever you are ready… and here are 3 ways I can help you lose weight, increase your muscle tone and help you get motivated:

1. Results Fitness Is Re- opening – Come in for a Custom Fitness Consultation.

We’ll sit down together and discuss your goals, simple steps you can take to achieve them and see if there is a way to work together to give you the coaching and support you need to get the results you want quickly.

If you’d like to discuss meeting for a Consultation, just reply and put ‘Consult’ in the subject line and I’ll follow up with you.

2. Join our 28 Day Jump Start Program

We’re adding a few new clients to our program for 28 days and documenting their success. If you’d like to work with us for the next month and be a case study for fat loss… just reply to this message and put “28” in the subject line.

3. Be my guest for a free training session.

If you’d like to come in to attend a ‘Bring a Friend’ training session as my guest…just reply and put “Guest” in the subject line, and I’ll get you all the details!

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Want an easier way to lose fat? Stop starving yourself, counting calories, or eliminating your favorite food groups.

Those extreme techniques only burn you out and leave you more frustrated than ever.

I bet if I sat on your shoulder and watched your daily routine, I would be able to identify at least 5 areas where you could make simple changes that effortlessly help you lose unwanted pounds.

Because the truth is that real fat loss comes with lasting, healthy lifestyle changes. You’ll get to your goals quicker when you stop making these 5 Lifestyle Mistakes:

Lifestyle Mistake #1: Lack of Sleep. To put this simply, you need to sleep more. Most adults need an average of eight hours of sleep each night, and I know you aren’t getting that much. When you don’t get adequate amounts of rest, you’re more likely to be hungry, overeat, and gain weight.

How does this work? Something like this.

If you’re tired, you won’t feel like cooking a healthy meal, and you’ll opt for fast (fattening) food instead. This very same lack of energy will also likely cause you to skip the gym. On top of that, sleep deprivation causes your metabolism to slow down, and if you’ve not heard, that is not something you want when trying to shed a few pounds.

Lifestyle Mistake #2: Too Much TV Time: Many people are in the habit of sitting in front of the TV for hours on end after a stressful day at work. Yes, you may be worn out and need a break, but sitting on the couch, zoned out, watching TV is not the way to lose inches.

If you must watch the evening news or see your favorite show, use the time to burn a few calories. Keep some hand weights next to the couch and work your biceps and triceps. Stand up and do some squats or lunges to work your legs and buttocks. Get on the floor and do some sit-ups to tone your abs or push-ups to tone your arms.

Lifestyle Mistake #3: Skipping Breakfast. Want to know a secret to successful weight loss? Eat breakfast! Try cutting calories by skipping breakfast, and you’ll be excessively hungry by mid-morning. As a result, the healthy calories you would have eaten at breakfast are replaced with calorie-filled snacks and an over-sized lunch.

Once again, fitting breakfast into your busy schedule may mean dramatic lifestyle changes. But research shows that the habit of eating a healthy breakfast is key to losing weight and keeping pounds off. Get to bed 30 minutes earlier than usual and set your alarm 10 minutes earlier to give yourself time to eat breakfast

Lifestyle Mistake #4: Drinking Too Much Sugar. Lasting fat loss is about changes. Unfortunately, some of the changes one must make are difficult. If you’re one of the millions hooked on soda, alcohol, or other sweetened beverages then your fitness goals may remain out of reach until you replace these drinks with water. You should also know that your brain often confuses thirst with hunger.

So at the first sign of hunger, don’t grab a snack or calorie-filled drinks. Instead, grab a glass of water.

Lifestyle Mistake #5: Not Doing the Right Physical Activity. Weight loss is about burning more calories than you consume. Therefore, it should make sense to you that dieting and exercise must go hand in hand. If you want to speed up weight loss and keep the weight away, add or increase the amount and intensity of physical activity in your daily life.

For many people, this is the most difficult lifestyle change of all, but the benefits are well work it. Aim for 30 to 60 minutes of intense exercise on most days of the week. When exercise is a normal part of your everyday routine, it’s more likely to stick, and your body will become slimmer and more toned.

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are three ways I can help you:

1. Let’s Do a Free Goal Achievement Virtual Call.

If you’re feeling stuck or frustrated and want help figuring out how to reach your health and fitness goals, simply reply to this email and let me know you want to talk. We’ll schedule a convenient time and I’ll help you figure out what will work for you during this crazy time. Just reply with ‘Call’ in the subject line and we’ll set up a time to talk. No obligation call!

2. Join our 28 Day Virtual at Home Summer Meltdown program!. loose the excess Quarantine weight!

Is your gym closed and you are starting to fall behind on your goals? If you stay on track or get on track our virtual program can help you. In our program you will receive live virtual workouts, nutrition guide, motivation, accountability!. If you’d be interested in our summer virtual programl, simply hit reply and put ‘Summer’ in the subject line and I’ll get you all the details.

3. Set a Virtual Success Session.

Not sure where to start, but know that you can’t let your health and wellness slip while on lockdown? Let’s book a Success Session, either over the phone or via Zoom to assess where you’re at, where you’d like to go and where a good virtual start would be that fits in with your goals, lifestyle and budget.  Reply back and put ‘Success Session’ in the subject line and I’ll get you scheduled.​

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Lie #1: You need fancy diet foods to lose weight.

Designer, brand name protein powders, bars and diet foods grace the glossy pages – looking gourmet and mouthwatering. And very expensive. The bold claims on these “foods” make them quite tempting, but keep your wallet in your pocket. Healthy weight loss is best gotten by eating a diet of wholesome, real foods. Says St Johns Wood Personal Trainer

• Eat real food, not expensive diet foods.

Lie #2: Transformations are simple. Eat less and move more.

So many of the one-page success stories water-down the truth about what it takes to transform from ‘before’ to ‘after’. In order to showcase their reader’s successes, one hundred pound melt-downs are condensed to a few paragraphs which undoubtedly say “Suzy ate small meals and exercised 60 minutes 3 to 4 times per week.” I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but massive transformations take much more effort and laser-like focus than that.

• Don’t believe that massive body transformations are easy, expect to put in hard work and dedication.

Lie #3: You need the latest fitness fashions in order to see results.

The latest fashions look great on those fitness models. Who knew that spandex could come in so many flashy colors and styles? And all the benefits of that hundred dollar tank top seem totally worth it, right? Actually your old t-shirt works just as well as the fancy stuff.

• You don’t have to spend an arm and a leg on fitness fashion, the pounds will melt off just as quickly in a faded t-shirt.

Lie #4: You can still eat junk food and look like a cover model.

By now I’m sure you’re seeing the trend of less-than-healthy advertisements peppered throughout your favorite fitness magazine. A common theme is to offer “healthy” versions of your favorite junk foods. While these lighter versions may very well be healthier than the originals, its still packaged junk that will slow your results.

• “Healthy” junk food is still junk, so choose wholesome, real foods instead.

Lie #5: You can get flat abs in just a couple of weeks.

Catchy headlines sell magazines. Flat Abs in 3 Weeks! Get a Killer Core by Summer! Rock Hard Abs Fast! The truth is that real results take time. You didn’t pack on all those unwanted pounds in 3 weeks, so don’t expect to lose it in 3 weeks.

• Don’t believe headline-hype, real results take real time.

Lie #6: Pills will get you the results you want.

Fat burning pills. Cleanse pills. Vitamin pills. Super Food pills. You name the pill and it’s probably on display in a pretty ad depicting fitness models with perfect physiques. Be wary of any bottle of pills with extraordinary claims.

• Results do not come in pill form, but by hard workouts and solid nutrition.

Lie #7: Don’t eat carbs, unless it’s carbs from our advertisers.

On one page you’ll read about the horrors of carbohydrates and how cutting back will get you to effortlessly drop pounds. On the next you’ll see a super lean fitness model holding up a piece of whole wheat bread with a sassy smile. She eats this brand of bread, so you should too if you want to look like her. Which page do you believe?

• Carbohydrate intake must be controlled, regardless of its brand.

Lie #8: You don’t need a trainer to achieve maximum results.

A recurring theme in fitness magazines is the idea that you can do your body transformation on your own – no personal trainer needed. It’s a great theme for the magazine since it means you’ll keep buying the latest issue for your fitness advice. The truth is that people serious about achieve amazing transformations always seek out professional coaching to ensure their success.

• Real results are achieved with the guidance of a professional trainer.

If you have a goal you’ve yet to achieve then reach out to me.